


Something borrowed, something blue

by kittybenzedrine



Series: Timelines [39]
Category: Original Work
Genre: Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, Deceased Spouce, F/M, Jewelry
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-09-18
Updated: 2018-09-18
Packaged: 2019-07-13 20:50:23
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,994
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16025735
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/kittybenzedrine/pseuds/kittybenzedrine
Summary: "A character has something in their possession that doesn’t belong to them. There’s a story behind that, no doubt."Leo hasn't failed to notice that a necklace from his late wife's jewelry box has gone missing, but the only two people with access to the jewelry box are himself and his current wife, Renee. He doesn't want to accuse Renee of stealing, but there's only so many people that could have taken the necklace, and it certainly wasn't himself._____All pieces of the Timelines series are standalones and can be read without context.





	Something borrowed, something blue

**Author's Note:**

> A writing prompt borrowed from reddit. 
> 
> If you're interested in seeing more prompts, follow [this link](https://www.reddit.com/r/FanFiction) and the monthly prompts should be one of the two top posts on r/fanfiction

It hasn't escaped Leo's notice that his late wife's favorite necklace has gone missing. He pulls her jewelry box out of the closet often just to touch the jewelry inside. Sliding those tiny rings onto his smallest finger as far as they'll go, letting thin chains slide through his fingers as he holds onto the pendants. He'd probably wear some of her earrings if his ears were pierced. Point is, he knows what's in that jewelry box better than he knows what's in the rest of the closet. And the other point is he would protect that necklace more than anything else in the shiny black box.

It's something simple, but Camilla always loved it. He gifted it to her when he was much younger, long before she ever entertained the idea of them being together. He had stolen it, and she didn't care. She loved it. The thin silver chain made her feel like she wasn't wearing anything, and she adored the pendant itself. A beautifully bright piece of polished turquoise laid in the same silver as the chain, held in place with thin pieces of crisscrossing metal. She always wore it, no matter how much it clashed with what she was wearing. The only real notable time she'd taken it of was about a year after the car accident that crippled her, when... He blinks back the memory of finding her hanging. She wanted him to keep it, and he still kind of regrets not burying her with it.

Regardless. It's been in Camilla's jewelry box for almost a decade, and now it's not. That's a problem. It's not like someone broke in, because he's certain someone would have taken more than a small necklace hidden in a box high up in the back of a closet. There are much, much more valuable things that could have been taken from the house, hell, even out of that jewelry box. She was fond of gold. But nobody stole anything from the house. There are only three people with access to that box. Himself, obviously. But he's never had any reason to take the necklace out of the room. He's pretty fucking sure that he put it snugly back in place last time he was going through the box. His cleaning lady doesn't come in the room, for one, other than to take clean towels back into the master bathroom. Leo trusts her. She's never done him wrong, and besides, she's much too short to reach the back of that closet. He can barely reach it and he's almost a foot taller than her. The problem is, that only leaves one person.

His current wife.

Renee's never done anything to cause him to be distrustful of her. She'll play pranks on him, sure, and he'll be hesitant of anything she does for weeks after. But never true distrust. She's always been respectful of Camilla. In fact, it was Renee's idea to hang his and Camilla's wedding photos up next to their own. She asks things about Camilla, takes care not to disturb the few outfits he decided to keep. She's looked through the jewelry box with him on one occasion, jokingly teasing about how he and Camilla were a perfect match with their gaudy taste in jewelry.

So it leaves a pretty foul taste in his mouth when he checks the box every day for a week and it still doesn't turn up. He doesn't want to accuse his wife of stealing, especially not something that's so deeply personal to him. But the list of people who could have made it disappear rapidly dwindled until she was the culprit.

~~~

Ren feels like an asshole for stealing the necklace. Really, she does. She knows Leo has probably noticed that it's missing by now, and she doesn't like knowing that he's silently stewing in the fact that his dead wife's favorite necklace is gone.

But the necklace is gross. Like really, really fucking _gross_. Leo apparently gave it to Camilla when they were way younger, and she wore the thing for almost ten years. It's easy to tell. The chain has tarnished beyond belief, and there's all kinds of nasty gunk built up on the metal of the pendant. There's no other word that accurately describes its condition other than gross.

So, she got the idea to have it cleaned a few weeks back. Though all the gunk was proof of how well loved it is, she's pretty sure he'd like to see it as pretty and pristine as the day he bought- well, stole- the necklace for Camilla. Ren's seen pictures of the necklace back when it was in its prime. It was fucking _nice_. One call to a trusted jewelry store later, and she sneaked the necklace out and brought it across town. She knew Leo would notice its absence but figured it'd be okay. She was told that the cleaning would take like two days max.

Problem is, the jewelry place was supposed to have it back to her like three days ago. But then they called and told her that since the metal holding the pendant is so delicate, it's going to take longer to clean so they don't damage it. And while she can appreciate that they took her seriously and are taking good care of Camilla's necklace, it's not good for her end because Leo's starting to get kind of tense.

He still hasn't said anything about it though. Hopefully he won't have a chance to. She's desperately praying to deities that may or may not exist that the thing is finished up by tomorrow. Leo's always been a very controlled man, but she thinks that this could get him legitimately angry at her, and angry Leo is the last the she ever wants to deal with.

~~~

He's going out for the afternoon. Leo plans to stay out until after dark, and if the necklace isn't back when he returns, they're having a talk. Normally, he's a man who has very fine control of his emotions and can generally pick apart what he's feeling. But he can't right now. He can't really decipher what he's feeling. Anger, sure, that's a given. Frustration, maybe even a little bit of anxiety. But there's a lot more swirling around that he can't figure out.

If it's not back, he doesn't know how this conversation is going to go.

There isn't really a plan for when he goes out. He visits an old associate of his for about an hour, but that leaves six more to kill. And there's just not enough to do in this little town. Any errands that he's been putting off are finished up in less than two hours, and he can only make an over-priced coffee last for so long. There's only so many times that an over dressed, stone faced man can walk laps at the park before parents begin giving him wary looks.

He has no idea why Renee would have taken the necklace. It's no secret between them that she has sticky finger urges, she's even proudly shown him some things and pronounced _Yeah, I stole these from Sarja forever ago and she never even noticed_. But it doesn't make sense. Renee's never been one for jewelry, so there's no reason for her to have taken it for herself. No reason or her to pawn it either, they're not hurting for money and the necklace is only valuable in sentiment. It's probably not even worth the $20 price tag he remembers it being nearly two decades ago. Renee also has exactly one close friend that she could have possibly given it to, but Sarja only wears earrings and bracelets. There's no conceivable reason for his wife to have taken it, and that's probably what angers him the most.

He spends more money on an overly sweetened drink that he can barely choke down. At least it kills some more time.

Eventually, the timer runs out and he gets in the car to make the half hour drive home. Leo finds himself anxious once more. Perhaps Renee will lie if put on the spot, wouldn't be the first time. Or maybe she'll tell the truth and it'll be something that he doesn't want to hear. He really likes his wife. If this blows up, it's going to be bad. If he hears something bad enough, he may even ask her to sleep at her brother's until he's had a chance to either cool down or draw up divorce papers. He wasn't aware that he was willing to get divorced over a necklace, but then again, he wasn't aware that his current wife would take something that belonged to his dead wife.

Renee's in the living room when he gets in. He greets her with a brief kiss, completely unlike their normal routine. Just a kiss, and he brushes past her and straight to their bedroom. Straight to the master bathroom, into the walk-in closet. He makes what he's doing no secret. The leather of his shoes squeaks as the gets up on his toes, reaching to the back of the highest shelf to pull the box down. The box is a familiar weight in his hands, sturdy and comforting. Leo doesn't even bother to sit, just pops the lid opens and prepares for the worst.

It's back. Or, at least, that's what he wants to believe. Because there's no way it's the same necklace. Last he saw it a week ago, it was well loved and looked just about the same as it did when Camilla died. This thing in the box can't be the same necklace.

He takes it out, setting the jewelry box on the counter. The chain is a shiny clean silver color, not the tarnished mess that was always clipped around Camilla's neck. There's nothing built up on the pendant, the fine layers of compacted grime simply not there. The turquoise itself is bright like it's been polished, not anywhere near the same dull rock he's so used to seeing. Turning it over, he finds a ragged 'C' scratched into the back of the metal.

It's Camilla's necklace, then.

It's... clean. It looks just the way it did so many years ago when he first presented it to her, brand new out of its little box. There's no proof of Camilla ever having worn it. No evidence of the years it spend around her neck, nothing to show the years of love it received. He swallows hard. But it's beautiful. Seeing it like this, pretty and clean, he can remember why he felt the need to risk arrest just to give it to her. He remembers being twelve and nervously presenting it to the girl he's always loved, the one who protected him and kept him safe and cared for in a world that never cared about the children on the streets. She was sixteen already, already working a terrible and illegal job just to keep the whole group fed. But he remembers the way her face lit up when she cracked open the lid, hugged his wiry frame and thanked him. It looked so beautiful on her when she hooked the tiny clasp at the back of her neck the first time, the bright pendant resting in the middle of her chest. And she thanked him, lightly cupped his little face and told him that he meant the world to her.

He sets the necklace back in the box and closes the lid. Up, back in the closet where the whole thing belongs. The necklace is back. Turning the light off, he makes his way back out to the living room. Renee looks a little nervous. She rises from the couch as he approaches, looks like she's got something she needs to say.

"Pardon me for not properly greeting you," he says, and kisses her before she has a chance to speak.

**Author's Note:**

> Trying to write a little to work myself out of a rut, and these two need some love.
> 
> I'm always very appreciative of your comments and kudos, so don't be shy about leaving either of those!
> 
> I have [my blog](http://iwillpooponthefloor.tumblr.com) on tumblr, if you'd like to check that out.
> 
> Thanks for reading!


End file.
